Kadyrov: Afghan Vice President Teared Up Over Peace Progress in Chechnya

Chechen Republic acting leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum was moved to tears by the sight of peace and order in the once turbulent Russian region, in an interview with Sputnik.

GROZNY (Sputnik) – Speaking on Dostum’s visit to Russia several months ago, Kadyrov said that the former Afghan warlord was struck by how quickly Chechnya was able to restore order and resume peaceful life after decades of fierce fighting between local insurgents and Russian government forces.

"I felt sorry for him [Dostum]. He had tears in his eyes. He said they had lost 2 million people [in Afghanistan]… He asked: how did you do it? Why can’t we do the same?" Kadyrov said.

The Chechen Republic acting leader stressed that the once restive Caucasus region in southern Russia is now militant-free.

When asked if rebels were still active in the region after a decade of fighting against Russian troops, Kadyrov replied, "No, there are none in our territory."

He praised local law enforcers and cooperation from residents for maintaining security and stability in Chechnya.

According to Kadyrov, the region was rocked by 157 assassination attempts, 14 terrorist explosions and killings of 52 police officers in 2007, the year he was appointed the head of the Chechen Republic.

"In 2015, we didn't have a single blast, not a single assassination attempt <…> There were arrests but no casualties on our side <…> Not a single Chechen police officer died," Kadyrov said, adding security forces took out 19 militants during the same period.

Kadyrov then quoted the Afghan vice president who praised Chechen authorities for their success in eradicating terrorism in the region. According to the Chechen leader, the Afghan general travelled across the entire region, visiting building sites and military compounds.

"There are still killings going on in Afghanistan. Wars have been waged for years, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Americans, tens of thousands of military personnel, US special forces," Kadyrov said. "They have no life there. Because they have a wrong policy, they are being used."

Kadyrov pointed out that Afghanistan was divided between numerous armed forces run by the Afghan government in Kabul and US troops receiving commands from Washington, and it was the United States that did all the decision-making, he concluded.

Any attempts by the Afghan government to restore peace in the country will be doomed to failure as long as the United States maintains its presence in the region, Chechen Republic acting leader also said in an interview with Sputnik.

“As long as the Americans are there, there is no chance for a peaceful life in this country,” Kadyrov stressed.

Answering a question on whether UN peacekeepers should be deployed in the region, he said: “And who, do you think, gives orders?”

“If a defense minister in Europe is appointed in coordination with the United States. If no plane can take off unless there is an agreement with the United States that it gives the green light. And the same goes for all the Arab states and other places where they sell warplanes. They rule. If the Americans sell their equipment to the Arabs, then they say: It is our equipment. If they buy, then they say: It is our money,” Kadyrov said.

The United States reduced the presence of forces in Afghanistan to around 9,800 after its mission in the country was officially over in late 2014.

In March, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Pentagon leaders were readying recommendations to President Obama for the US military presence in Afghanistan.

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